Abu Zakariya Yahya (, Abu Zakariya Yahya I ben Abd al-Wahid (12031249) was the founder and first sultan of the

Hafsid dynasty The Hafsid dynasty ( ) was a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Berbers, Berber descentC. Magbaily Fyle, ''Introduction to the History of African Civilization: Precolonial Africa'', (University Press of America, 1999), 84. that ruled Ifriqiya (modern day Tu ...

Ifriqiya Ifriqiya ( '), also known as al-Maghrib al-Adna (), was a medieval historical region comprising today's Tunisia, eastern Algeria, and Tripolitania (roughly western Libya). It included all of what had previously been the Byzantine province of ...

. He was the grandson of

Abu Hafs Umar ibn Yahya al-Hintati Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar b. Yaḥyā al-Hintātī (, born Faskāt ū-Mzāl Īntī; c. 482–571 Hijri / 1090–1175 or 1176), chief of the Hintata, was a close companion of Ibn Tumart and a shaper of the Almohad Empire greatly responsible for the uni ...

, the leader of the

Hintata The Hintata or Hin Tata were a Berbers, Berber tribal confederation belonging to the tribal group Masmuda of the High Atlas, Morocco. They were historically known for their political power in the region of Marrakesh between the twelfth century an ...

and second in command of the

Almohads The Almohad Caliphate (; or or from ) or Almohad Empire was a North African Berber Muslim empire founded in the 12th century. At its height, it controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa (the Maghreb). The Almohad ...

after

Abd al-Mu'min Abd al-Mu'min (c. 1094–1163) (; full name: ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAlwī ibn Yaʿlā al-Kūmī Abū Muḥammad) was a prominent member of the Almohad movement. Although the Almohad movement itself was founded by Ibn Tumart, Abd al-Mu' ...

Life

By 1228 Abu Zakariya was the

Almohad The Almohad Caliphate (; or or from ) or Almohad Empire was a North African Berber Muslim empire founded in the 12th century. At its height, it controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa (the Maghreb). The Almohad ...

governor of

Gabès Gabès (, ; ), also spelled Cabès, Cabes, and Kabes, is the capital of the Gabès Governorate in Tunisia. Situated on the coast of the Gulf of Gabès, the city has a population of 167,863, making it the 6th largest city in Tunisia. Located 327 ...

and then of

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

, having inherited these positions in Tunisia from his father. Later in 1228 he rebelled against his brother Abd-Allah, who had been head of the

from 1224 following the death of their father, Abu Muhammad Abd al-Wahid ibn Abi Hafs. In response, Abd-Allah marched from Tunis to Qayrawan to confront his brother in battle, but his troops deserted him and Abu Zakariya overthrew him, forcing him to be content with the title of Sheikh and to devote himself to religious life. Abu Zakariya then succeeded as head of the Hafsids. In 1229 Abu Zakariya rebelled once more against central authority after he heard that the Almohad caliph in

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

al-Ma'mun, had overthrown and killed two of his brothers and that he had cancelled the creed of

Ibn Tumart Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad Ibn Tūmart (, ca. 1080–1130) was a Muslim religion, religious scholar, teacher and political leader, from the Sous in southern present-day Morocco. He founded and served as the spiritual and first military leader ...

. Additionally, al-Ma'mun instructed the Imams to insult Ibn Tumart in the mosques and cancelled the call to prayer in Berber.

Conquests

Abu Zakariya moved to expand his influence in the vicinity of his young state, and marched his army to Constantine and

Béjaïa Béjaïa ( ; , , ), formerly known as Bougie and Bugia, is a Mediterranean seaport, port city and communes of Algeria, commune on the Gulf of Béjaïa in Algeria; it is the capital of Béjaïa Province. Geography Location Béjaïa owes its ...

in 1229. The Almohads were preoccupied with internal differences and sedition, and the revolutions that were taking place in Andalusia and in the Maghreb. So Abu Zakariya faced little resistance in annexing the territory of the Almohads.

Independence from the Almohads

Abu Zakariya returned to Tunis after his successful campaigns and declared independence in 1229. He subsequently annexed Tripoli in 1234,

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

in 1235,

Chelif River Chelif River () (also spelled Chéliff, or Sheliff) is a river in Algeria, the longest in the country. It rises in the Saharan Atlas near the city of Aflou, flows through the Tell Atlas and empties into the Mediterranean Sea north of the cit ...

1236, and subdued important tribal confederations of the

Berbers Berbers, or the Berber peoples, also known as Amazigh or Imazighen, are a diverse grouping of distinct ethnic groups indigenous to North Africa who predate the arrival of Arab migrations to the Maghreb, Arabs in the Maghreb. Their main connec ...

from 1235 to 1238. In July 1242 he captured

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran and is the capital of Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the port of Rachgoun. It had a population of ...

, forcing the

Sultan of Tlemcen The Kingdom of Tlemcen or Zayyanid Kingdom of Tlemcen () was a kingdom ruled by the Berbers, Berber Zayyanid dynasty in what is now the northwest of Algeria. Its territory stretched from Tlemcen to the Chelif River, Chelif bend and Algiers, and a ...

to become his

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

and formed a series of small states between areas under his control and the states of the Western Maghreb. In December 1242, the Almohad caliph Abd al-Wahid II died, leaving Abu Zakariya as the most powerful ruler of the Maghreb. At this time the Hafsids also occupied the Berber emirate of Siyilmasa which they were to retain for 30 years. By the end of Abu Zakariya's reign, the

Marinid Dynasty The Marinid dynasty ( ) was a Berbers, Berber Muslim dynasty that controlled present-day Morocco from the mid-13th to the 15th century and intermittently controlled other parts of North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and of the southern Iberian P ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

and several

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

princes in

Al-Andalus Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...

paid him tribute and acknowledged his nominal authority.

Trade and architecture

Abu Zakariyya established his capital in Tunis where

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

souk A bazaar or souk is a marketplace consisting of multiple small stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, Central Asia, North Africa and South Asia. They are traditionally located in vaulted or covered streets that have doors ...

s and other buildings were built. Amongst this work was the Madrasa al-Shammā'iyya and the mosque of the Kasbah. He began diplomatic and commercial relations with Emperor Frederick II of Swabia, the Crown of Aragon, Provence, Languedoc, with Venice, Pisa and Genoa. From 1239 he approached the

Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily (; ; ) was a state that existed in Sicily and the southern Italian peninsula, Italian Peninsula as well as, for a time, in Kingdom of Africa, Northern Africa, from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 until 1816. It was ...

, to which he paid an annual tribute in exchange for freedom of trade and the supply of Sicilian wheat. As Tunis's maritime trade increased, it became an important economic and cultural centre. During his reign Tunis offered refuge to those fleeing the

Reconquista The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...

. Abu Zakariya welcomed to his court many notables and scholars from Andalusia. Abu Zakariyya allowed Jews who had forcibly converted to Islam in the Almohad era to return to Judaism, returning to live in relatively normal conditions. Synagogues closed or destroyed in the Almohad era were reopened or rebuilt. The Jews played a very important role in the economic policy and foreign trade developed by Abu Zakariyya. A skilful general, his ability to utilise the military power of the tribesmen enabled him to establish a strong state. His Hafsid dynasty brought peace, prosperity and stability to

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

. Abu Zakariya died in 1249. His successor was Muhammad al-Mustansir, who proclaimed himself Caliph in 1256 and continued the policies of his father.

Sources

*Julien, Charles-André. ''Histoire de l'Afrique du Nord, des origines à 1830'', Payot, Paris, 1994. {{Authority control 1203 births 1249 deaths 13th-century Hafsid caliphs People from Tunis People from Gabès Moroccan emigrants to Tunisia Tunisian people of Moroccan descent 13th-century Moroccan people Governors of the Almohad Caliphate